The use of windshield wipers is critical to ensuring that rain, dew, and other forms of liquid moisture are efficiently and effectively removed from the windshield of vehicles. However, when ice, hard packed snow, or other frozen precipitation forms on windshields, commonly used windshield wipers, with their resilient, flexible rubber blades, are ineffective. In fact, the use of these wipers on ice usually results in damaging of the blades.
Various attempts have been made to connect ice scraper elements to windshield wipers. These prior wiper systems have proven to be either ineffective in removing frozen precipitation from windshields or impractical in that they are difficult to effectively attach to existing wipers. Other prior wiper/scrapers are complex devices which utilize multiple parts, making them expensive to manufacture and, inevitably, to replace.